Over the River and Through the Woods...

The problem with closing on a new house right before the holidays is that there hasn't been time to actually move in yet. While my mother flew off to Texas to visit my brother and his family, Ted and I took a road trip to Kansas City to visit his kinfolk. Ted's dad and one of his sisters live in the area, as do a couple of his good friends. We always look forward to the trip, but this year I was especially excited to discuss our new place with others who were going through similar rehab projects.

Ted's sister S. lives in a small frame house built in 1925, and she and her husband B. have done everything from renovating bathrooms to adding on completely new rooms. I've been to their place half a dozen times before, but this was the first time I really looked at how the bathroom was redone and how the tile on the floors was applied. And who knew that discussing electrical wiring could be so much fun?

Our friend D. owns a hundred-year-old farmhouse to the north of K.C., where she lives with her two pixie-bobs and a potbellied pig named...Hamlet! Rehabbing the old house has become her hobby, and she's even taken classes on basic plumbing, etc. She's my new hero, because one of the very first projects she's taken on was to tear out a little-used coat closet on the first floor to expand the bathroom, even moving over the plumbing and building a large, glass and tile shower. It's beautiful. Much to my annoyance, though, I realized I didn't have my camera with me, so unfortunately there are no pictures. I'll get them next time I visit, when she's sure to have another major project or two completed as well.

Ted and I are now back in the Chicago area to spend New Year's Eve with friends, and our first official night at the Box House. We don't have any of our furniture there, yet, and will be sleeping on an air mattress, but I can't wait.